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Baptist Health Foundation recdently announced that the Miguel B. Fernandez Family Foundation has made a $5 million grant to Baptist Health Foundation in support of programs at Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute. The grant was recognized by the naming of the Fernandez Family Foundation Main Entrance at the Institute.
“We are extremely grateful to the Miguel B. Fernandez Family Foundation for this extraordinary grant,” said Alex Villoch, CEO of Baptist Health Foundation. “Their generous philanthropic support will go far in helping Miami Cancer Institute advance lifesaving research and strengthen the well-being of our community.”
Of the total amount of the grant, $3 million will support a breast cancer trial that provides access to contemporary radiation therapy treatment to underserved South Florida women with early-stage breast cancer, as well as other breast cancer research.
The $2 million balance of the grant will establish the Fernandez Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, the Institute’s first endowed chair, to support the work of Manmeet Ahluwalia, MD, MBA, deputy director, chief scientific officer and chief of solid tumor medical oncology at Miami Cancer Institute.
Dr. Ahluwalia’s focus is on developing therapeutic clinical trials for primary brain tumors and brain metastases. Since joining Miami Cancer Institute in 2021, he has also worked to fulfill the Institute’s mission of increasing minority enrollment as principal investigator in clinical trials.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized with Miami Cancer Institute’s first endowed chair,” Dr. Ahluwalia said. “The grant will further our goal of enrolling more local cancer patients in clinical trials, focusing on the types of cancer that disproportionately affect minority groups, in order to improve outcomes.”
Miami Cancer Institute, which opened in 2017, cares for an average of 1,200 patients each day. The Institute provides unparalleled expertise in individual cancers, and access to the world’s latest cancer discoveries, most effective treatments and best outcomes – all in South Florida.
“This grant marks a milestone for Miami Cancer Institute,” said Michael J. Zinner, MD, CEO and executive medical director. “In addition to helping advance research into breast cancer as it affects underserved patients, it will elevate the stature of the Institute and allow us to draw luminary physicians and researchers from around the world.”
Learn more at BaptistHealth.net/Foundation.
